Reactions to the death of James Garner

The Associated Press

Posted:
07/20/2014 01:13:58 PM MDT

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James Garner, who will accept the 41st annual life achievement award, arrives with his family including his wife Lois Clarke, far left, for the 11th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in this Saturday, Feb. 5, 2005 file photo taken in Los Angeles. Actor James Garner, wisecracking star of TV's "Maverick" who went on to a long career on both small and big screen, died Saturday July 19, 2014 according to Los angeles police. He was 86. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

"Jim was a mentor to me and a friend, and I will miss him." — Tom Selleck, who early in his career guest-starred on Garner's series "The Rockford Files."

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Garner was "a hell of a driver. He truly was a 'man's man.' Jim was a friend, and when he came to Indianapolis as a spectator and pace car driver we obviously welcomed him with open arms." — Parnelli Jones, two-time Indy 500 winner.

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"My heart just broke. There are few people on this planet I have adored as much as Jimmy Garner. I cherish every moment I spent with him and relive them over and over in my head. He was a diamond." — Sally Field, who co-starred with Garner in the 1985 film "Murphy's Romance."

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Shirley Jones recalled that in the mid-1950s she arrived in Hollywood and landed the lead role in "Oklahoma!" Before location shooting began, she was invited by a photographer to join him for dinner with another promising young star — James Garner. "I see this gorgeous man and I said, 'Oh, my!' He was very sweet. We went to this little restaurant and I told him, 'You're gonna be a giant star.' He said, 'How? I'm not sure I know how to act.'"

Jones said she followed his ascent but didn't run into him again for decades until they co-starred in the 1984 film "Tank." ''Not only was he a great actor, but he didn't hit on me," she said. "He didn't have that reputation, like a lot of actors I worked with. He was very married, a family man. And a real straight-on guy."

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"R.I.P James Garner. Such a lovely man"— Gary Sinise, who appeared with Garner in the 1989 TV film "My Name is Bill W." (Twitter)

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"So sad to hear that James Garner has gone. A real part of my childhood Rockford and the Maverick especially" — actor-comedian Stephen Fry (Twitter)

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